Over the river and through the woods........

Fall is all about color.  The trees turn all sorts of vibrant hues and, if we are lucky, the sun gloriously makes the colors really pop!  So far, this fall, we have been blessed with fabulous weather for enjoying all the season has to offer.  This year, my family has really been taking advantage of the weather by hiking almost every weekend.  This weekend, we headed to the River Trail Nature Center in Northbrook for their Fall Festival and a fall color walk.

When we first arrived at the River Trail Nature Center, we were greeted by a full parking lot.  Consequently, we had to park further away and hike a little ways to get to the festivities.  This little "wrinkle" in our itinerary provided us with a nice hike through the woods to the festivities.  We enjoyed spotting different types of trees and scouting for wildlife along the way. 

Once we arrived at the festival, we headed straight for the fall color walk.  While most of the trees in the forest had only just begun to turn colors, we found the walk to be very enjoyable and informative.  The ranger conducting the tour was great at engaging the children on the walk and was very attentive to their questions.  The children had a great time and they were all eager to answer the ranger's questions.  My daughter got a particular kick out of identifying different leaves so, throughout the walk, she searched for different leaves for the ranger to identify.  The ranger was very patient and identified all of the leaves for her!

After the walk, we perused the other festival offerings including crafts, pumpkin painting, a puppet show, and wildlife encounters.  Being a little "crafted-out" from going to so many fests this fall, we decided to skip the crafts and go to the wildlife encounters.  My daughter enjoyed the encounter and saw a skunk, an eagle, and an owl. 

After the encounters, it was time to embark on the path back to the car.  We took a leisurely hike back through the woods, taking pictures along the way.  The beautiful, soothing scenery set us up for a peaceful Sunday afternoon at home.  I am hoping that this fall will gift us some more nice days this fall for hiking!  However, I am looking forward to trying snowshoeing this winter! 

For anyone interested in more information about the River Trail Nature Center or the related preserves here is a link: http://fpdcc.com/.  The River Trail Nature Center has events throughout the year.  The ranger told us to watch out for information about maple tapping demonstrations in the spring!